Laurent Blanc takes his Paris St Germain side to Caen on Wednesday night knowing a win is essential to avoid further speculation about his future.
Pressure has been mounting on Blanc after a poor start to their Ligue 1 campaign including two straight draws at Rennes and at home to Lyon last Sunday.
Blanc has admitted “something is missing” from his side’s form so far but believes the Caen game presents the ideal opportunity to get back on track.
Blanc told a press conference: “Something is missing but it is the players who hold the answer.
“We will respect Caen but we will go there with the intention and ambition to win as always.”
Talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose form has mirrored his side’s sluggish start to the season, has been ruled out of the trip to Caen with an ankle problem. The club said the injury required at least 48 hours of treatment.
Blanc was still quick to jump to the defence of the Swede.
He added: “Zlatan is a major player and a leader of Paris St Germain and we know very well what he is capable of doing.”
Caen have performed well in their first season back in the top flight and currently sit in 10th place with seven points from their first six games.
Patrice Garande’s men face the champions without a win in their last three games but they were only denied victory by a late equaliser in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Toulouse.
# | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | G | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | SSC Napoli | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 9 | +10 | 26 |
2 | Atalanta | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 15 | +16 | 25 |
3 | Fiorentina | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 25 |
4 | Inter Milan | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 25 |
5 | Lazio | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 25 |
6 | Juventus | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 24 |
7 | AC Milan | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 18 |
8 | Bologna | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 18 |
9 | Udinese | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 16 |
10 | Empoli | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 15 |
11 | Torino | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 14 |
12 | Roma | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 17 | -3 | 13 |
13 | Parma | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 12 |
14 | Verona | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 27 | -10 | 12 |
15 | Como | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 10 |
16 | Cagliari | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 10 |
17 | Genoa | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 22 | -13 | 10 |
18 | Lecce | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 21 | -16 | 9 |
19 | Monza | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 8 |
20 | Venezia | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 8 |